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Literature During The Mughal Empire

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The Mughal Empire (1526–1857) was an extremely important era in the cultural history of the Indian Subcontinent. Babur founded the Mughal Empire in 1526 after defeating Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat. The arts like painting, textiles, literature, poetry, and architecture flourished during this period. Countless works of literature were produced by a variety of artists and even by Mughal kings and princes.

Literature Growth During the Mughal Era:

A lot of literary works were produced in the Persian language during the Mughal era because it was the official and courtly language. Other regional languages also saw a period of literary growth. There were many factors that were responsible and one of them was the Sufi and Bhakti saints who preached in local languages. Another factor was that many Mughal kings patronized literary works. Emperor Babur wrote several poems and his memoir Baburnama has received widespread acclaim from scholars. It was written in the Turkish language but later translated into several languages. Many writers and poets emigrating from Persia to India was also an important element for the literature growth.

Literature in Babur and Humayun’s Reign:

Babur was a learned man. His autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburi, was written by him in the Turkish language, and it was so brilliantly written that it was translated three times into Persian. Additionally, he composed poetry in both Turkish and Persian, and his collection of poems, Diwan (Turkish), rose to prominence. After him, Humayun came to the throne. His sister Gulbadan Begum wrote “Humayunnama” around the time. Additionally, Humayun built a vast library. In actuality, he died as a result of a fall from his library’s stairway. 

Literature in Akbar’s Reign:

Emperor Akbar was also fond of the arts and created a grand library of over 24,000 manuscripts. Many scholars, poets, and writers were patronized which led to a surge in original works being produced. Authors such as Abul Fazl, Abul Faizi, Nizamuddin Ahmad, Abbas Khan Sherwani, etc. composed historical works under Akbar’s reign. Abul Fazl or Abu’l-Fazl bn Mubarak was one of the Nine Jewels (nine extraordinary people in the royal court) of Akbar’s royal court. He wrote Akbarnama or Book of Akbar which is the royal history of Akbar’s reign. Abul Fazl’s student, Abdul Hamid Lahori, wrote the majority of Padshahnama, the official history of Shah Jahan’s reign.

Literature in Jahangir’s Reign:

Emperor Jahangir was intrigued with art and architecture and he, too, wrote his autobiography called Tuzk-e-Jahangiri or Jahangirnama like his great-grandfather, Babur. ‘lqbalanam-i-Jahangiri’ and ‘Maasir-i-Jahangiri‘ were important literary and historical works during his reign.

Literature in Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb’s Reign:

Dara Shikoh, son of Shah Jahan, penned many writings on Sufism. One of his major works is ‘Majma-ul-Bahrain‘ or ‘The Confluence of the Two Seas‘, where he talked about the diversity of religions and the harmony of Islam and Hinduism and other religions. The translation of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads into the Persian language was also done by Dara. Abul Hamid Lahori, a courtier to Shah Jahan, composed “Padshahnama.” A compendium of Islamic law known as “Fatwa-i-Alamgiri” was the most significant work produced during Aurangzeb’s time. Other writings were Bhimsen’s “Nuskho-i- Dilkusha” and Khafi Khan’s “Muntakhab-ul Lubab,”.

Translated Literature:

Many Sanskrit works were also translated into Persian; two of those major Sanskriti epics were the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Another well-known writer from this time is Jagannatha Panditaraja, a famous Telugu poet and literary critic, who is known for works like Rasa Gangadharam, Ganga Lahari, and more.

Regional Literature:

Regional languages such as Bengali, Gujarathi, Oriya, and Rajasthani had also developed during this era with translations. One such example of this development was the translation of stories from the Bhagavad Gita into regional languages. Urdu became the common language for people with different dialects to communicate with each other. Additionally, the general masses also contributed to the upliftment of regional languages. These changes in literature raised common languages into prevalent literary languages.

Hindi Literature:

Hindu poets were also attached and well known to the court. The most famous Hindi poet was Tulsidas and his well-known works were in Sanskrit and Awadhi. He wrote the Ramcharitmanas, the version of the Ramayana in Awadhi. Sur Das was another prolific writer even more than Tulsidas; Sur was possibly attached to Akbar’s royal court and was commonly known as the “blind bard of Agra“. Surdas’s poetry was written in Braj Bhasha, a dialect of Hindi, and this boosted the dialect’s rank among Persian or Sanskrit which were the literary languages.
There were Muslim poets who entered the field of Hindi literature and poetry during this time. Poets such as Abdul Rahim Khan Khana and Ras Khan interpreted Indian culture so perfectly.

Key Literature from the Mughal Period:

Name of The Books

Writer

Importance

Baburnama Emperor Babur Babur’s memoir
Akbarnama or Book of Akbar Abul Fazl or Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak History of Akbar’s reign
Padshahnama   Abdul Hamid Lahori History of Shah Jahan’s reign
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri or Jahangirnama Emperor Jahangir His autobiography
Majma-ul-Bahrain or The Confluence of the Two Seas Dara Shikoh Diversity and harmony of religions
Bhagavad Gita  Dara Shikoh Translated into Persian
Upanishads Dara Shikoh Translated into Persian
Rasa Gangadharam Jagannatha Panditaraja Famous Telugu work
Ganga Lahari Jagannatha Panditaraja Famous Telugu work
Mahabharata Several Muslim scholars under the title of Razmnama Translated into Persian
Ramayana Abdul Qadir Badayuni Translated into Persian
Fatawa al-Alamgiri Emperor Aurangzeb 17th-century Sharia & principal regulating body for the empire
Ramcharitmanas Tulsidas Ramayana in Awadhi

Conclusion:

In the reign of the Mughals, literature advanced dramatically with an abundance of original and translated works being produced. Along with Persian, literature in Sanskriti, Hindu, Urdu, and other regional languages was also produced. The status of other languages was also elevated with new literary works and techniques. This literary progress was made possible due to the patronage of Mughal kings and princes, writers, and common people. This treasure of literary compositions paved the way for future writers which we all appreciate the next time we pick up a book or listen to an audiobook.

 


Last Updated : 01 Dec, 2022
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